Once and again
by Free Skylark
Summary: [Sequel to Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road] After their reunion, things were supposed to go well for the pilots. But someone appears on their doorstep, beginning the events that would threaten everyone's return to the Yellow Brick Road.
1. The beginning of matters

Author's Disclaimer for entire story: Gundam Wing and its characters does not belong to me. This is done solely for the sake of entertainment.  
  
Author's notes:  
  
Okay, this is a sequel for 'Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road'. You should read that first if you want to understand what's going on here. This story occurs a few months after the reunion of the pilots. I f you have any questions please tell me and I'll try to clarify things to the best of my ability. Please review if you have time. Enjoy!  
  
Once and Again  
  
1. The beginning of matters:  
  
Narrator's POV:  
  
"Duo," called Quatre, knocking at his door, "breakfast's ready."  
  
The seventeen-year-old blonde shook his head at the muffled groan he received as an answer, and the crashes that ensued as Duo tried to reach his en suite bathroom as he went to call the others. Heero was typing yet another program on his laptop, probably to block Relena's perpetual messages; Trowa was already in the kitchen and Wu Fei was practicing in the garden. A few war-free months had done nothing to change the young pilots, although they had come to value their friendship after nearly losing one of them at the desert base. Saying that they were brothers would not have been a great mistake. They now lived together at one of the Winner mansions on Earth, because Quatre had taken up his duties as the CEO of the Winner Enterprises.  
  
Quatre walked into the kitchen to be met by an amused Trowa.  
  
"No luck in getting them to breakfast?" he asked. The blonde shrugged.  
  
"It's hard to decide which is harder to get, Duo from his bed or Heero from his laptop. Good morning, Wu Fei," he greeted the Chinese.  
  
"Morning, Winner, Barton," he replied briefly and sat down to his porridge. Duo and Heero soon followed, to Quatre's relief. Due to the fact that Duo was still halfway in comatose mode, and he was hungry after getting up from bed, breakfast was finished quickly and without incidents. Trowa and Heero began to clear the table, while Quatre began to get ready for work. He emerged from his room a few minutes later, clad in a plain button-up shirt and pants. Quatre wore suits only when there were official meetings with delegates of other companies, otherwise he was simple in his clothes.  
  
"Going to work now? It's still seven-thirty," said Wu Fei  
  
"I know, Wu Fei, but I need to get there early. I have some extra work to do. I don't know if I'm coming to dinner, but I'll call you. See you later; have a nice day."  
  
"You too, Quat," said Duo.  
  
Quatre decided to ride his motorcycle to work; the streets were getting crowded. He had dismissed the housemaids and butlers of the mansion when they first came to live here on Earth. He didn't want his friends to feel uncomfortable, and anyway they could take care of themselves well enough.  
  
"Good morning, Master Quatre."  
  
"Good morning, Jamal," replied Quatre to the guard. "And don't call me 'master', please."  
  
"Yes, Master Quatre," replied Jamal with an arch smile. It was almost an everyday routine; Quatre couldn't intimidate the workers into dropping the titles like Samra did when someone called her Anisa (Miss).  
  
Samra... Quatre smiled as he thought of his sister. He owed her a lot for returning his friends to him when he withdrew into the desert after being rejected after the end of the war. His thoughts were returned to earth with a crash at the sight of the four-foot tall pile of files on his desk. Time to work... he reminded himself as he sat at the desk.  
  
Over all, it was just another normal day in their lives. However, that was the calm that precedes the storm, or rather, the return...  
  
"Injustice!" yelled Wu Fei from his room. "You're cheating!"  
  
"But I don't know where that ace came from, Wu-man!" came Duo's reply as the chase began.  
  
Trowa shook his head as he looked up from his book. The previous incident happened almost every time Duo and Wu Fei played cards. And since Quatre wasn't there to save him, Duo would probably end up tied in a broom cupboard, unless Heero decided that the noise was too loud for his work.  
  
Said perfect soldier came into the library away from the racket. Trowa looked at him, amused.  
  
"What did he try this time, Heero?"  
  
"He had some extra cards hidden in his sleeve. I've been wondering why he didn't fold them up as usual. Wu Fei should really try something else; that cupboard is getting fed up of having Duo instead of brooms," joked Heero. (OOC-ness? Maybe, but I hate to have an ice-block Heero in my stories XP)  
  
Before Trowa could answer, the vid-phone rang as Duo and Wu Fei came into the library. On hearing the second ring, Duo shot towards the phone, hoping that it was Quatre.  
  
"Hn," growled Wu Fei, "saved by the phone."  
  
"Yo, Quat – " Duo stopped abruptly in mid-sentence. The pilots looked at him in surprise as he tried to compose himself. "Ah... er... hello, Samra, nice to see you..."  
  
Samra was still the same as Duo remembered her, a girl of nineteen bearing striking resemblance to her younger brother. But Duo didn't remember seeing her that worried, or that glare in her azure eyes. She looked ready to kill.  
  
"Hello, Duo," she replied tersely, "where's Quatre?"  
  
"He's still at the office," said Duo, "you can call him there if you want..."  
  
"No, I'll call him later. Just tell him when he comes back that I called, okay?"  
  
"Sure, anything else?"  
  
"No, thanks. Bye."  
  
Duo looked at his comrades, eyebrows raised almost to his hairline. Silence reigned for a few moments until Wu Fei cut the silence,  
  
"Your eyebrows are going to remain like that if you don't put them down, baka," he said, going to sit at the sofa.  
  
Duo, for once, did not retaliate. He shrugged and followed suit. Obviously, Duo was very confused. True, he had seen Samra angry before – but nothing like this...  
  
"I guess we'll know when Quatre comes back," said Trowa at last.  
  
"Yeah," agreed Heero. "It might be family matters, for all we know."  
  
And thus the matter ended, or so they thought. That was only the beginning of the events that would take place...  
  
ooOOoo  
  
A couple of hours after his arrival found Quatre waist-deep in work. Folders and papers were spread all over the desk in a neat mess. Quatre had his sleeves folded up, working away at the never-ending pile, oblivious of time passing by.  
  
After finishing the nth folder of the day, Quatre was relieved to see that only a dozen files remained on the desk. He glanced at his watch for the first time since he entered the office.  
  
"Five-thirty," he sighed, "I missed lunch without calling them. But since they haven't surrounded the place with guns drawn I guess they aren't worried." He chuckled, but his laugh was suddenly cut by a sharp pain in his chest. The blonde doubled over, tears of pain forming in his eyes. Then it was gone as quickly as it came. Quatre took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. His empathic sense had caught on a source of a great pain and worry, but he knew that it was someone near to him, or the pain wouldn't have been that great.  
  
"Allah... what happened?" he wondered as he tried to finish the remaining work as quickly as possible and get home.  
  
...  
  
"See you later, Master Quatre," said Jamal as the young CEO exited the building.  
  
"Have a nice evening, Jamal," replied Quatre as he mounted his bike. Finally, time to go home...  
  
"Good evening, Winner," said Wu Fei as he opened the door.  
  
"Hello, Wu Fei," replied Quatre tiredly, "sorry I didn't call you this afternoon."  
  
"It's okay, Quat," said Duo as the blonde seated himself beside the braided teenager, "we only had to reinforce the outlets of the house with Gundanium to stop our perfect soldier here from rampaging the Winner enterprises with a full-forced Wing Zero attack."  
  
"Hn, baka," replied Heero, giving him a traditional death glare.  
  
"Samra called you today while you were at work, Quatre," said Trowa.  
  
"Samra?" echoed the blonde, remembering the incident in his office. "Did she leave a message?"  
  
"No, but she seemed quite worried," said Wu Fei.  
  
On hearing this, Quatre's thoughts began to take a dark turning, but he stopped himself from jumping to conclusions. "Uh... okay, I'll go call her now," he finally said, going to the vid-phone.  
  
Waiting for the machine to establish a connection with his sister, the empathic wondered what had happened that was so terrible. Wasn't the war over?  
  
The answer to his question came almost instantly as Samra's agitated face came on screen.  
  
"Samra –" he began, but she cut him before he could say anything, yelling in her native language,  
  
"Quatre! Katalu osrat Rama! Yuridunal harb!"  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
-- end of chapter one –  
  
Author's Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters does not belong to me.  
  
Author's notes:  
  
I would like to thank all those who readreviewed my first fic 'Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road', especially silverklaw and weissangel24. And since it was liked by many people, here's the sequel for you guys.  
  
Oh, I left you at a particularly nasty part, didn't I? Apparently, what Samra said – or yelled, to be exact – at the end is in Arabic, but I'm not going to tell you the translation now. Sadly, I'm up to my waist in unfinished fics, and I'll think about a sequel for 'Sound the engine now'. But reviews will definitely make me write faster! Please spare some time to review. Thank you for reading! See you later!  
  
Free Skylark. 16 June 2004. 


	2. Night arrangements and postmen at the do...

2.Night arrangements and postmen at the door:  
  
Samra's single, if not comprehensible, statement had a profound effect on Quatre. Instantly he mirrored his sister's expression, exciting the concern of his friends who were staring at the blonde with their mouths open.  
  
Quatre, however, did not have time to think about the invading emotions; he turned his full attention towards the predicament before him. His previous yell of 'what' was purely rhetorical as an effect of the initial shock, but now his narrowed azure eyes were demanding answers of the five W's and the one H.  
  
The pilots were somewhat acquainted with that look; their strategist was asking for facts to be able to formulate plans, and they felt a pang of uneasiness about what the problem was – the war was over, wasn't it?  
  
They were roused from their musings by Samra responding to her brother's question. A stream of Arabic burst forth, and though they didn't understand anything, it seemed that Samra was trying to contain her anger. However, it soon got the better of her, and her last words were nothing short of a yell. Quatre gripped the edges of the machine tightly, going over what he had heard with his eyes closed. When he finally opened them, everyone could see the way they flared, showing how really mad he was. Duo personally pitied the unfortunate being who caused all of this.  
  
"Tell the Maganacs to raise extreme emergency level," he said. "All bases on the alert, no exceptions. I want reports every six hours. Any development should be reported immediately. I'll meet Iria and Zahra in ten minutes."  
  
"I'm on my way," replied Samra.  
  
"Samra... be careful," whispered Quatre before she cut the connection.  
  
"You too, brother." The screen went blank. Quatre stared at it for a few more moments, then turned to his friends.  
  
"Quat..." began Duo.  
  
"I have to go now," interrupted the blonde as he pulled his jacket on. "Have supper without me; I'll be here tomorrow. And don't stay the entire night awake. You're comatose enough without it," he added jokingly.  
  
"You'll tell us about this when you get back," said Heero as he opened the door for Quatre. The other simply nodded and smiled comfortingly.  
  
"Good night." And he began to walk up the path till he was engulfed by the darkness.  
  
...  
  
Supper was, strangely, a quiet meal. The pilots went to bed early, each preoccupied with his thoughts.  
  
"Winner is right, baka," said Wu Fei. Duo turned as he was going to enter his room.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Have a good sleep," replied the Chinese boy. The braided teenager was about to retaliate when Heero interrupted.  
  
"He's right. We need to be wide awake if we're going to help Quatre in this problem, whatever it is," he stated in a no-argument tone. Duo simply shrugged and closed the door behind him. After brushing his teeth and changing, he jumped on his bed with a sigh. Even if he wanted to, Duo was pretty sure he wasn't going to sleep. He stared stubbornly at the ceiling above, wondering what his blonde friend was doing. After a few minutes, he realized that he was calming down and becoming drowsy. Before he fell completely asleep, Duo recognized that aura of comfort he basked in.  
  
"Hn, Quatre," he murmured as his eyes closed. "I just hope you're alright."  
  
ooOOoo  
  
Quatre sighed as the last source was worry calmed into dreamless sleep. The blonde knew that Duo would have been the hardest to reassure. It wasn't that the rest of them didn't care – no, not at all. Heero, the perfect soldier he was, would have seen this as a mission, and therefore sleeping was an essential factor for the mission's success. Wu Fei would have thought it an injustice if he wasn't able to help because of his lack of sleep, while Trowa was practiced enough in controlling his emotions.  
  
He sighed as his sisters came in. He had gone to one of the conference halls in WE. Now that his friends were in no danger of risking lack of sleep, Quatre turned his attention to what he knew was a long night of hard work. He had to give his duties as CEO to someone else, meaning his sisters. And thus most of the night was spent in discussing the recent developments of the enterprises' work and the future jobs to be done.  
  
"Don't worry, Quatre," said Iria. "We'll take care of this. You just concentrate on your problems."  
  
"I know, Iria, I know," sighed the youngest Winner child.  
  
"And they don't know anything of her whereabouts?" asked Zahra.  
  
"Not yet," replied the boy. "But I know where she's heading. And Samra will be taking care of any attacks with the Maganacs. As for the press..."  
  
"The young CEO of the Winner enterprises has taken a vacation to L4," said Iria automatically. "Don't worry, brother. Just be careful."  
  
"I will," he assured her, getting up. "And I swear... whoever did this, will pay."  
  
...  
  
Heero glanced at the alarm clock as he got out of bed. The red digits flashed five-thirty in the morning. The perfect soldier spared the poor clock a trademark death glare before going to the bathroom. He had overslept an entire hour, in spite of last evening's events. However, he reckoned it was Quatre's doing; Heero vaguely remembered a strange calm feeling descend on him before going to sleep.  
  
Heero wondered what had happened that caused so much a commotion. He knew it wasn't a simple business affair – the Maganacs wouldn't have raised an emergency state for that. Besides, Quatre's eyes had gotten so...  
  
Fierce.  
  
But what did Samra have to do with all of this? And why was she going to the Maganacs? As far as Heero knew, none of Quatre's sisters had anything to do with the wars. But then, something inside Heero told him that what he knew was the apparent view of the situation. The perfect soldier remembered Doctor J once saying that nothing was as it seems...  
  
And perhaps that statement was about to be proven true.  
  
Dressed in a plane top and trousers, Heero walked silently through the dark sleepy corridor, blinking to rid himself of the last clutches of sleep. The sun was about to rise; it was six in the morning. His relaxed behaviour instantly changed as his mind flashed an urgent warning: someone was in the living room. Instantly he pressed himself flat against the wall, every sense on the alert as he crept towards the living room.  
  
"Good morning, Heero," said the empath from the kitchen table.  
  
Relaxing as he heard his friend's voice, Heero came in to see Quatre sitting at the table with a steaming cup in his hands. He offered Heero another cup, which the other accepted with a smile. Former 01 and 04 sat sipping their tea slowly, an air of calmed content surrounding them. Heero noticed a few leaves in the hot dark red liquid.  
  
"What's this?" he asked Quatre, cutting the silence.  
  
"Green mint leaves. I forgot to remove them from the pot. It adds a refreshing taste to the tea."  
  
"Yeah... so, what did you do last night after putting us to sleep?"  
  
Quatre smiled. "That was quite an accomplishment. I transferred the CEO duties to my sisters, Iria mainly."  
  
"But she used to work on L4 main colony?" questioned Heero.  
  
"Yes, but most of the work is now concentrated around Earth sphere. Besides, Zahra is taking over the WE in L4 main colony."  
  
"Quatre, what's wrong?" asked Heero, noticing the distant look his friend was getting. The blonde sighed and went to put the cups in the sink.  
  
"I don't fully know yet. But I know it's not good..." Heero raised an eyebrow at him so he continued. "I'll tell you when the others wake up. Besides, it's going to come up sooner or later," he muttered, more to himself than to Heero as he went about making breakfast for the rest of them.  
  
...  
  
Getting the occupants of the house to breakfast was surprisingly a very easy job to the young blonde. Duo even accomplished a record-breaking seven minutes' time to be presentable to the outside world. Soon they were all seated in the sun-lit kitchen around their breakfast, occasionally shooting questioning looks at the somewhat distracted blonde.  
  
Till breakfast was finished and dishes were washed was the limits of what Duo's patience could take. Actually it was patience forced by the combined efforts of Heero, Trowa and Wu Fei. Either way, he kept quiet as time went agonizingly slow. When Quatre had finally wiped the table clean, Duo began his assault.  
  
"Now," he said, ignoring three pairs of glaring eyes – well, two pairs and one visible, to be honest – "what happened that forced you, Quatre Raberba Winner, to take a vacation? The world must be nearing its end!"  
  
The blonde smiled at his friend's dramatic introduction. He inwardly winced at the pain in his chest. She must be arriving any minute now, and all would be revealed.  
  
"Yo, Earth to Quatre. Do you read me?" Duo practically yelled before receiving a yank of his braid that sent him back to the couch, courtesy of Heero Yuy.  
  
"No, Duo. There aren't any words to read on you," replied Quatre.  
  
"Hn, maybe except: I am a braided baka," muttered Wu Fei in an audible tone. Duo made a mental note to take care of that remark later; he had more important affairs on hand.  
  
"No, kidding, Quatre. What the hell is going on?" Duo said seriously.  
  
"Well..." The doorbell rang, cutting off the blonde's words. Duo had a good mind to show the bell an idea of what Deathscythe Hell really was. But he decided to open the door.  
  
"Must be the postman," said Duo as he walked towards the door. "You stay right where you are."  
  
Duo blinked in surprise as he stared before him; there was no one. He was starting to get angry at pranksters when he felt something -- or rather someone push by his legs and rush into the apartment. He turned just in time to see a blur of brown throw itself into Quatre's open arms.  
  
"QUATRE!" cried Rama.  
  
The blonde tightened his arms around her as sobbing was heard.  
  
The sobs soon became coherent enough for the pilots to recognize that she was repeating something over and over again. "It's not fair, Quatre. They killed them all. It's not fair."  
  
The blonde patted shaking form sadly. "I know, but they're going to pay. I promise."  
  
--end of chapter two--  
  
Author's Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters does not belong to me.  
  
Author's notes:  
  
I guess things aren't that explained, but it's better than being completely in the dark. For all those who reviewed, thank you very much and I hope you enjoyed this.  
  
I guess it can be deduced now but anyway the translation for what Samra said is: "They killed Rama's family. They want war."  
  
As for the mint leaves thingy... I was drinking tea at that moment, and it had mint leaves... Plain stupidity, that's all. But it really is refreshing.  
  
Suggestions and feedback are most welcome. Thank you for reading. See you soon!  
  
Free Skylark. 21 June 2004. 


	3. Beyond the tears of a refugee

3.Beyond the tears of a refugee:  
  
Silence reigned over the room for several long minutes as the little "postman" calmed down in the empath's arms. Eventually, teary haze eyes met cerulean blue, and the sobbing stopped.  
  
"It'll be alright, Rama," soothed Quatre. "Go rest now, we'll talk later."  
  
The little girl nodded and disappeared down the corridor; a moment later Quatre's room was occupied. The blonde sighed, and turned back to face, with little amusement, four dumbstruck pilots. Duo stared from the empty hallway to his Arabian friend, trying to grasp what had happened in the last few minutes. His voice bizarrely deserting him, the braided American shrugged and flopped back on the sofa.  
  
None spoke for a while as different thoughts were brooded over. Trowa studied Quatre carefully; the blonde looked definitely depressed, but there was a strong hint of angry defiance behind those depths of blue. The banged pilot knew that look; the Winner heir was foreseeing the worst, but he was ready to meet it heads-on.  
  
"Quatre," enunciated Heero at last, stressing each word, "what happened?"  
  
"Well –" he began, but the vid-phone rang. The poor thing received four death glares that were capable of blowing it to smithereens over and over again. Dodging Duo's restraining grasp, Quatre got up to answer the persistent rings. The pilots soon heard a familiar voice, though she was not shouting this time.  
  
"What?" asked Samra.  
  
"She's here," replied her brother. "Not a scratch. It seems that it has been done."  
  
A growl came in answer to this cryptic remark,  
  
"Who?" said she.  
  
"I don't know yet; I'll tell you later. Anything new?"  
  
"No, but Rashid's patience is at end. You should speak to him."  
  
"Fine. Let's hope nothing else happens," said Quatre darkly as he cut off the connection. Without a word he returned to his seat and began to answer before the question was asked again,  
  
"A few weeks ago, the communication links with sub-colony 463 were cut off. At first it was thought to be a giant sandstorm; the electromagnetic disturbance tends to hamper incoming and outgoing waves. But three weeks passed without a change, and Samra went to see them..."  
  
"Yes?" pressed Duo as the blonde let his words hang.  
  
"... the residential areas were... completely destroyed. The resources of the colony were not found," continued the blonde, his fists now clenched.  
  
"Bandits?" asked Wu Fei.  
  
"No, a few hours later sub-colony 462 was approached by unknown mobile suits. But Samra and some of the Maganacs were there, and they managed to fend off the attack. There is a design and purpose behind those attacks. All reports confirmed one fact: the resources taken are those which can be used in building an army."  
  
"But what does your sister have to do with all of this?" questioned Heero.  
  
"There were two recruits for the position of Gundam pilot zero four. Professor H trained us both, but Samra was given missions with the Maganacs. She's as able a fighter as any of us," replied Quatre evenly.  
  
"I don't get it," said Duo, "if the colony residents were killed, then how come Rama's here?"  
  
The blonde's gaze darkened as he answered, "A one-passenger ship left the sub-colony just before the connection broke down. The attackers tried to track it down, but it was found empty on L4 main colony. A few days later someone booked a flight to earth under the name of Samra Winner. It was then that Samra called me. I could feel it: Rama was coming here."  
  
Stunned silence echoed his words. Seeing that Quatre had plunged once more in his thoughts Trowa spoke up,  
  
"But how could Rama do all that on her own?"  
  
"Someone could have programmed the plane from 421, but the rest of the events have only one explanation: she was trained," said Quatre between gritted teeth.  
  
"Trained? A nine year old girl? Why - Who?" Wu Fei was on the point of ranting about the injustice for the next few months.  
  
"I don't know,' replied Quatre. "I haven't talked to Rama yet. But it could be anyone..."  
  
"Professor H?" suggested Heero.  
  
"Maybe... he did want more recruits after seeing the initial results of our training. But we refused, and after a lot of argument he agreed if the Winner family continued funding his project."  
  
"But why would any of those idiots want to attack the colonies? I know the scientists are bonkers enough, but not that much..." argued Duo.  
  
"We don't know anything yet, Duo. I have to go contact the Maganacs over a secure connection to find out more about the attacks. I'll be back be lunch," he added, getting up.  
  
"Okay, Quat," said Duo earnestly. "Don't worry, we'll take care of her."  
  
"I know, Duo. I know."  
  
oo00oo  
  
Rama came out an hour after Quatre's departure to find the living room quite still. Blinking in surprise – the room was quite occupied when she first came in, and now it had only a morose Duo at the kitchen table – she made her presence known,  
  
"Hello..."  
  
The braided teenager snapped up from his reverie with a start, then gave Rama one of his "American baka" trademark grins.  
  
"Hello, Rama. Had a good sleep? Do you want something to eat or drink?"  
  
"Do you have some cocoa?" she asked.  
  
Five minutes later found both braided ones sipping hot chocolate at the table, each staring at the steaming dark brown liquid, lost in thought.  
  
"You make a good chocolate drink," said Rama at last.  
  
Duo looked both surprised and pleased by her remark, "I do? Strange... your cousin's the only one who can deal with the kitchen – well, unless someone blackmails Wu Fei into some Chinese food."  
  
"You really like teasing him, don't you, Duo?" she asked with a laugh.  
  
"Well, as a matter of fact – wait a minute, how do you know that? And how come you know my name?"  
  
Rama shrugged at his consternation. "You told me your names when I saw you at Ramda, and you always had some argument or the other with Wu Fei."  
  
"And you still remember that?!" asked Duo in disbelief; their meeting was a very brief one.  
  
"'Course I do. Well, I remember you in particular because my sister used to talk about that competition you had with her."  
  
Duo remembered being beaten in a braiding competition by Maha, Rama's older sister.  
  
"She did?" The question was asked before he could stop himself.  
  
"Yeah... she really didn't mean to offend you... but I guess she didn't have the chance to say so..."  
  
Duo now began to panic; the conversation now was beginning to tread dangerous waters, and he was eager to change the subject. Trouble was that his talking skills deserted him in times of need.  
  
"But I'll say it on behalf of her. She didn't mean it, Duo... she really didn't," continued Rama.  
  
Her sincerity tore at his heart, and Shinigami buried his face in his hands,  
  
"Damn, I'm so sorry, Rama..."  
  
The guilt and shame welled up inside him; Duo inwardly cursed his comrades' one-sided agreement to 'let the baka talk her depression to death' as the Chinese had said. Against the Perfect Soldier, Nanashi and Nataku's pilot, Shinigami was badly outnumbered with no gentle blonde at his back. What was worse that he had promised Quatre to take care of her... Quatre trusted him, but he had betrayed his best friend's trust...  
  
Suddenly a gentle pat interrupted his dark stream of thoughts; Duo looked up to meet confused hazel eyes.  
  
"Sorry about what, Duo?" she asked timidly. "Did I do something wrong?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Rama," repeated Duo. "I shouldn't have talked about – you know what."  
  
The hesitant look was instantly superseded by a comforting smile.  
  
"Oh, don't worry, Duo. I'm not moping or anything."  
  
Raised eyebrows made her go on,  
  
"Well, I know I cried when I came here... but I was just letting out all the things in here." She pointed at her chest. "I – I do miss them but... Maha once taught me something when my pet pigeon died..."  
  
"What thing?" ventured Duo.  
  
"Well, those we love may be far," she began, her words beginning to pick up speed as she got confident, "but if we really love them then we want them to be happy. And they love us and want us to be happy so that they are happy so we must be happy for them and then everyone is happy – Duo, what?" Rama came to an abrupt halt as she noticed that her listener had taken a faraway gaze; Duo did not seem to heed the words that tumbled out at breakneck speed.  
  
"I'm fine, Rama," he finally said. "You're right, we should be happy for those who love us, right?"  
  
"Yeah!  
  
At this realization both braided ones grinned from ear to ear in the empty living room. However silly those grins may have seemed, they held a deeper meaning within...  
  
...Shingami had learned how to repay his beloved ones up above...  
  
...and Rama had her cherished belief confirmed in a time when it was greatly needed.  
  
"Even so," said Duo with a mischievous twinkle in his amethyst eyes, "you can't possibly braid faster than me."  
  
"Oh yeah? We'll see about that!"  
  
oo00oo  
  
The other three pilots were in the garden: Heero trying to type on his laptop, Trowa trying to read a book, and Wu Fei trying to meditate.  
  
All three gallant attempts failed miserably.  
  
Simultaneously they sighed, exasperated, and dropped their endeavours. Wu Fei glanced behind him when a shriek of laughter echoed through the silent house. Eyebrows raised, they noiselessly crept into the house to check on the braided pair.  
  
"That is the fifth time I mess up! HOW do you do that?" came Duo's irked voice, though there was a hint of amusement behind.  
  
"I told you, Duo; concentrate on two strands each time. If you take all three at a time you get it tangled. And experiment on YOUR hair now please; stop messing mine up," added Rama with mock asperity.  
  
"But it still doesn't get right!"  
  
"Use your thumb and index finger only," advised his 'tutor'.  
  
Even Heero's lips quirked at the sight of 02's struggle. Wu Fei rolled his eyes,  
  
"Great, the baka's opened a braiding institution in our living room.  
  
Tying back the band of his now orderly braid, Duo yelled back,  
  
"Just because you have a stump of a pigtail, 'Fei, it doesn't mean that everyone should follow your lead. YOU'RE being an arrogant injustice here."  
  
The immediate reaction was rather interesting.  
  
Not unlike Altron in battle, Wu Fei brandished the nearby broomstick and, with a roar, he took off after the fleeing Duo, thus commencing the customary chase. Shinigami preferred to beat a retreat before the broomstick's wrath than to face Altron's pilot hot on his heels. That explained why Duo was currently on top the refrigerator, cornered by a furious AND armed Wu Fei.  
  
"Someone's going to end up in the cupboard today," remarked Trowa.  
  
"No, tied and hanging from a tree is more probable. Maxwell seems to have violated the highest decree of justice by calling Chang an injustice with a stump of a pigtail," said Heero.  
  
Rama blinked at their casual description,  
  
"Do they do that often?"  
  
"It would be rather outré if they dropped their Tom and Jerry stunt for one day," said Trowa. (Do NOT ask me from where Trowa knows about Tom and Jerry, but he lives in the same house with Duo Maxwell, so it's not that improbable. Besides, 03 is from France (isn't he?) and I guessed it would be normal for him to say outré – I'm not an expert in French, it just hopped by...)  
  
"Quite exceptional..." agreed Heero.  
  
"I will get you Maxwell! Get back here NOW! INJUSTICE!"  
  
...  
  
Quatre trudged back wearily towards the house. His contacting the Maganacs just served to increase his fear, and two days' lack of sleep was not helping at all. Perhaps he had said goodbye to the road a little too soon... Though that did not explain why Rashid wanted ALL of them to come. He knew that nothing short of a 'Gundanium- strengthened house' as Duo had put it would be able to stop his friends if they were not to come. The days had taught Quatre that his people preferred to have their problems solved in between them. But wanting the entire ex-Gundam team to come...  
  
'Allah...' he thought sadly, 'is it that bad?'  
  
As he neared the house he found, at his expense, that the occupants were not being ice-blocks. Powerful emotions charged his heart, and he was thankful they did not mirror his own. Duo's amusement mixed with a little fear, Wu Fei's indignation was not deprived of some humor, and the other three (Heero, Trowa and Rama) seemed struggling not to laugh till tears.  
  
'Well, feeling low about it will not help matters,' he mused as he entered the house in time to save Duo from a day's sentence in the broomstick cupboard.  
  
oo00oo  
  
The midday meal passed smoothly, but the pilots noticed that Quatre said barely a word. Raised eyebrows silently agreed to worm a report out of him after lunch.  
  
But the strategist did not try to escape their questions by any means.  
  
"No other attacks till now, but the Maganacs have become pretty sure of one thing: these people are looking for large resources in the shortest time possibe..." Quatre let his words hang.  
  
"And?" asked Trowa.  
  
"Gundanium alloy."  
  
Tense silence followed this. If there was a battle, then fighting Aries would be no problem, Taurus may be an obstacle – but Gundams... Quatre's silence was now explained .  
  
"But everyone knows the Gundams were destroyed after the war," said Heero.  
  
"And how come they're looking for Gundanium on L4 in particular? These people know a lot more than others," added Wu Fei.  
  
"I know... There are the initial trials of Sandrock. I don't know what happened to them," agreed Quatre.  
  
"But it could be coincidence, after all," said Duo.  
  
"Maybe, maybe not. But the fact is they ARE looking for Gundanium. THAT must be taken into consideration," joined Trowa.  
  
"We'll see about that when we have more data," said Quatre with a sigh before turning to his cousin. "Now Rama, can you tell me what happened?"  
  
"Everyone seemed jumpy that day," she began. "Something was wrong, but no one said anything. Suddenly Maha came into my room and told me to come with her. I never saw her so scared in my life. She took me to the hangar and told me to ride this small ship to L4. She said that something bad was going to happen, and she wanted me to go to Samra or Iria."  
  
"But you went to Earth."  
  
"Some people were after me after I left home. They knew I was heading for L4 main; the ship didn't have much fuel. So I left it and decided to go to you, using Samra's name."  
  
"Rama... you were trained, weren't you?" asked Quatre quietly.  
  
"Yes, that 'summer camp' I went to last year was weird."  
  
"But why didn't you tell anyone, or try to leave?"  
  
"He said it was to help you and Samra and Rashid and all the others save our home."  
  
"He?" questioned the blonde.  
  
"The trainer. He was the strangest thing in that place. Slicked black hair, beady eyes, and a slinky moustache, like the arms of a clock."  
  
Quatre's heart clenched; the answers were coming, and he knew he would not like them at all. Rama's account did not need an explanation.  
  
It was he...  
  
The slinky moustache guy...  
  
Professor H.  
  
--end of chapter three—  
  
Author's Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters do not belong to me. (I do own Rama and Samra, don't I?)  
  
Author's notes:  
  
Many apologies for the long wait. I hope this chapter compensates. (Rama/Duo interaction for you, weissangel24! ) I'll be updating my other fics soon. Tell me what you think of this chapter; your suggestions and what you want to see are most important to me.  
  
In case you've forgotten, sub-colony 463 is where Rama and her family live. If there's anything you don't understand feel free to ask.  
  
Uh... one more thing, was this chapter dark? And yeah... Professor H is an idiot, isn't he? To all those who read/reviewed/are thinking of doing so, thank you very much. See you soon!  
  
Free Skylark. 11 July 2004. 


	4. Back on the road

4.Back on the Road:  
  
Quatre turned his gaze to the ceiling, his exhaustion and sleepiness along with his anger all hit him with full force, resulting in an agonizing headache. He would have given anything to sleep for a week, Professors and weirdo attackers be damned. And speaking of professors... Quatre knew that Professor H's involvement in the matter was not such a big surprise to him, and though it was a most heinous act, he couldn't deny that it saved his cousin's life.  
  
Rama had calmed down about the matter, but that was not the end of the affair. If the stories were true, those people might start a new war, even worse than those of before... More people dying, another journey on the road... Quatre did not have a steady footing amongst the blaring reports from everywhere, with no clue about their accuracy. But in spite of all this mess, the blonde pilot knew one thing.  
  
He would NOT let it happen again, no matter what the cost.  
  
After what seemed ages, the Arabian quit scowling at the ceiling, and returned once more to the people around him. He decided it was time to tell them the last bit of information; they didn't have much time.  
  
"Rashid said something more when I last contacted him," he began, calling the attention of the other pilots, "he wanted me to come to Ramda base, obviously, but..." He raised a hand as Duo opened his mouth to speak; the braided teenager fell silent.  
  
"...he also asked me if you would agree to come."  
  
"All of us?" asked Trowa.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"That's one hell of an idiotic question to ask," said Duo heatedly. "Of course we're coming!"  
  
"I know," replied Quatre, "but you know what this means?"  
  
"It means we'll be back to that injustice of a nightmare," supplied Wu Fei. His statement received grave nods.  
  
"Quatre..." began Duo earnestly, amethyst meeting azure, "to say the truth, going back to that hell isn't particularly my favourite activity, but I'll tell you something. I fought that war because I didn't want to see another Maxwell tragedy. You taught me that our sorrows are healed in seeing others happy, and that's what I went to the battlefield for. I don't think I'll ever regret that.  
  
"But when someone comes and makes Rama here join the club, this is beyond the red line. WAY beyond the line. It isn't nice, and it's not a stroll in the park, and I'd prefer one of your pancakes in front of the television than getting cornered by a dozen Taurus. But – NO, I'm not going to sit here like it's not my business... no sir, Shinigami's gonna show them some hell of his own, and you have my word on it."  
  
Quatre grasped the outstretched hand with a warm smile, the others following suit. Rama shrugged with an amused smile on her face.  
  
"Honestly, these people are in BIG trouble, aren't they?"  
  
"You bet," replied the other braided one. "With Mr. 'Perfect Soldier', Shinigami, Nanashi, Pancake-maker here, and of course Lord 'this is injustice', these guys had better bail out now – but that doesn't mean we're leaving them."  
  
Quatre had one eyebrow arched high, "Pancake-maker? Maybe I'm going to ignore a certain someone in the cupboard today..."  
  
"But before these humble soldiers go out under the leadership of Captain Baka, the strategist must get some sleep," said Heero firmly, looking at Quatre's haggard face.  
  
"I know, Heero. But I'll talk to Iria first about the shuttle, alright?"  
  
"Then you'll get some sleep – even if I have to tie him outside," said Wu Fei, jerking his head in the direction of a slightly apprehensive Duo.  
  
After a short and to-the-point call, Quatre obediently went to bed, having settled his worries by making sure that something was going to be done. Their shuttle was scheduled for the next day at dawn, and the other pilots were already packing. Rama was going to sleep in the spare bedroom. At this point of thinking, Quatre decided to submit in the sweet folds of sleep before one of his comrades discovered his disobedience.  
  
oo00oo  
  
The vague smell of pancakes filtered through Duo's muddy mind and forced him back to awareness. Stretching as he glanced at the clock in surprise – it was four in the morning – he remembered that they had a shuttle to ride. Quatre must have got up early, having gone to bed first the day before.  
  
'Well, a full Shingami is much better than a hungry one,' he told himself as he went into the living room.  
  
"Hello, Duo," greeted Quatre. The other three were already assembled at the table; Rama was helping her cousin give out food.  
  
Wu Fei glanced at the newspaper beside him. "No sign of your disappearance, Quatre," he remarked.  
  
"Oh, Iria's kept them quiet," he replied. "It doesn't matter to them who's in charge – as long as they get the money."  
  
Ten minutes later found them assembled outside the door with bags slung across their shoulders, ready to leave a silent house in the sleepy dawn. As he passed the door, Heero had a fleeting memory of Trowa, Duo, Wu Fei and him passing out of a silent safehouse only a year ago.  
  
'Here we go again,' he mused.  
  
...  
  
The base was very much the same as they left it, only this time they didn't pass through the town. As they came out of the shuttle, they were met by Fahad.  
  
"Hello, Master Quatre. It's nice to see you again," he added to the others.  
  
"You too, Fahad," replied the blonde. "Where's Rashid?"  
  
"I will take you to someone who will answer all your questions," said Fahad.  
  
Eyebrows raised, he followed the Maganac with the others behind him. After winding through several corridors and passages, he led them to an iron door. Samra stood beside it, scowling deeply. At her brother's questioning look, she merely shrugged and jerked her head at the door. Eyes narrowed, the blonde pushed it open, and stepped inside with the others – to stop dead in their tracks.  
  
It wasn't Rashid.  
  
It wasn't even Professor H.  
  
It was Treize Kushrenada.  
  
--end of chapter four—  
  
Author's Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters do not belong to me.  
  
Author's notes:  
  
Much shorter than the previous one, and not much plot, either. Sorry about that cliffhanger at the end; I am so evil. Don't think I have anything else to say – so much work to do, and the muses are showing no mercy. Please spare some time to write a note and raise my spirits and speed. Thanks to all those who reviewed and were patient with me. See you later!  
  
Free Skylark. 18 July 2004. 


	5. Slinky moustache and co return

5.Slinky Moustache and company return:

The effect of that serene figure holding a rose on the pilots was quite remarkable: Heero had managed to compile a thousand 'Perfect Soldier' glares into one, a glare capable of evaporating Gundanium (exaggeration? Maybe, but he's Heero anyway...), while Duo was close to having a Shinigami glare of his own; Trowa turned a stony white; Quatre glared with narrowed laser blue eyes at a point beyond Treize's shoulder. Unsurprisingly, Wu Fei's reaction at seeing the enemy he had 'killed' standing before him was easily the most notable.

"WHAT is HE doing HERE?" he finally yelled, positively spitting with rage.

"I guess you should ask them," said Quatre dryly, indicating the figures that emerged out of darkness. Their attention was momentarily riveted as it became clear who they were. Duo clapped a hand to his forehead,

"Crap, the entire company's here..."

And Duo was right. The pilots stared at their trainers, Doctors J, G, S, H and O (in order of the pilots, I think). But between Doctor H and the Arabian cousins, the air seemed to crackle with suppressed rage.

"We meet again, Quatre," said the professor at last. He got two scowls from the elder Winners; their younger relative huffed and went to stand by Samra, who had come in at some point.

Silence reigned again, though it was not because of lack of words or things to do. Rather, it was lack of decision shown by the more expressive members of the group. Wu Fei wasn't able to decide which was the greater injustice – Treize, Rama's affair, the scientists or Maxwell standing right beside him? – in order to launch a full-forced rant. Shingami did not have the ability of entertaining six people at the same time with death, and he was having a hard time adjusting his priorities. As for Heero, the mere question of what type of bomb to use in annihilating the unwanted figures before him was the sole obstacle.

It was a few minutes before Quatre moved past Treize to one of the dark corners. He started the computer systems and turned round, eyeing the Doctors expectantly. H (I'm dropping the titles, they're not worth it) nodded and went to the screen, beginning the long-awaited explanation.

"It is a group made up of the remnants of White Fang and Romefeller, under the name of the Warhorses. The attacks on the sub-colonies of L4 weren't the first, other places on Earth were also attacked, but they were kept secret. Their objective, apparently, is to build an army of their own, so they are looking for resources.

"During the past months, they used the period of peace after the destruction of Libra to commence their plans. Currently they have bases all over the colonies."

"But how come no one noticed?" asked Heero.

"No one suspected that the 'Researching Satellites' were actually mobile suits hangars," answered J.

Pressing a few buttons, H brought out a 3-D map of the numerous bases occupied by the Warhorses. They were small, but the sheer number of them was stunning.

"Are they all armed?" said Trowa.

"No, their exploit on L4 was not completely successful. Their plan was hampered by the Maganacs' interference," replied H. "But they will prove themselves a danger to peace soon if not stopped."

"How do they know where to look for Gundanium alloy?" questioned Wu Fei. The scientists seemed impressed by his question, but Quatre's gaze darkened suddenly in realization.

"He's one of you, isn't he?" he asked abruptly.

"An assistant, actually," said H after a while. "We thought he was dead after we were captured by OZ during the Mercurius and Vayete project, but it seems we were wrong to assume so."

"Yeah, like Quinze," muttered Quatre darkly. "How much does he know?"

"Ronald was Doctor H's assistant," explained G. "he knew that Sandrock was built on L4, and that's why he attacked those sub-colonies, in pursuit of Gundanium."

"You built weapons OUTSIDE the lab?" interrupted Samra. "We had an agreement to continue funding! No weapons outside the satellite!"

"There is no such thing as an agreement in war, my dear girl, and you know that," said H irritably.

"All I know is that you're a dishonorable piece of scum," she growled and went outside, taking Rama with her.

"So you have known about this for some time?" said Quatre, deciding not to continue his sister's argument.

"Yes, and we built our defenses to repel the Warhorses." J showed them a plan of the defense army, though it was nothing in comparison with the armies of the Eve Wars.

Quatre did not seem satisfied, and the reason was about to come out. His next words dropped a bomb in the place.

"Then why are you rebuilding the Gundams?"

The room went deathly silent, though Treize was ready to swear that the pilots were emitting steam. He, however, was merely the audience, and from the way this...uh...'conversation' was progressing, he rather preferred it to stay that way.

"Because it transpired that their power was greater than what we anticipated," replied J in a monotone.

"So you want us to go and kick their butt?" supplied Duo in a forcedly calm voice.

"Eventually, yes, but not now," said G in a maddeningly patient air, as if he was teaching a headstrong toddler that one plus one equals two.

"And why is that so?" Wu Fei was currently turning a dangerous shade of red.

It was Treize who answered. His quiet, aristocratic manner served to infuriate the Chinese even more, but his words were the last straw.

"Because they have Lady Une."

--end of chapter five—

Author's disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters are not mine. All I own is this little piece of ranting shown above.

Author's notes:

Sorry for the long wait. I guess this chapter was shorter than the usual, but there was a little problem in my plans. Can anyone tell I hate those scientists? Stupid people. As for what Mr. Kushrenada is doing here, you'll know in the next chapter. Probably, it will have some fruit. A hint? Large, green skin, red flesh inside with a lot of little black seeds. Nice in summer... Enjoy!

As for including Quinze... In the version I watched of GW, Quinze said something about being one of the Doctors during their encounter on Peacemillion. I think it was episode 49: The Everlasting Winter.

To all those who read or reviewed, thanks! Please drop a review.

Free Skylark. 8 August 2004.


	6. A load of watermelon

6. A load of watermelon:

(Note: In case you don't understand the title – and you probably don't – do not worry, for it will be explained later on in this chapter.)

First impressions can be quite important – or misleading. When Rama's story first came to light, it seemed inevitable that someone had to be punished. But as events unfolded with Treize's 'friendly' call, and the 'pleasant' intercourse between H and his two trainees, it became clear that someone was going to be grievously hurt. The injustice had to be removed. Then it transpired that they had to wait before serving justice. The reason was an onna, and Lady Une at that.

It was simply too huge an injustice to be allowed.

For the reasons above, a certain Chinese pilot by the name of Chang Wufei was currently looking like a steam engine standing still with a load of coal burning ferociously inside it.

Saying that he was angry was certainly an understatement of an age, and his comrades were not blind to the fact. Heero moved beside the seething 05, while Quatre sensed the urgency of extracting facts as quickly as possible. The scientists were not that foolish, either, and it was H who answered their last questions.

"How the hell did he come out of the battle alive?" questioned Duo, gesturing at Treize.

"Good question," began H, receiving four pairs of withering glares, with one emerald glower thrown in for good measure. "General Treize wasn't in the Tallgeese to begin with."

"So that's why the Tallgeese was so passive," mused Quatre. "I thought I couldn't feel him in battle because of the Zero system... And why was that so?"

"Some of those who founded the Warhorses were former Pro-Treize soldiers," replied H. "The plans to rule after White Fang was defeated began directly before the last battle. They wanted General Treize to lead them."

"And?" pressed Wufei in a calm voice. Currently, his want to find out what was going on was the only thing that stopped him from charging.

"Believe it or not, their plans were even worse than those of White Fang's. I knew that they would get... _persistent_ if I refused, and so I told them to wait till the final battle was over," answered Treize.

"So you staged your death on the battlefield to rid yourself of their persuasion," supplied Quatre hurriedly before Wufei could explode. This day was SO full of injustice.

"Yes," said Treize, catching the diplomatic urge to continue their 'conversation' without an exploding Wufei interrupting. "When White Fang was defeated, they decided to launch their plans, but they took a step I had not anticipated: they contacted Lady Une. Naturally she refused and urged them to forgo their scheme, but they took her with them. She is currently in one of their main bases, unharmed as our spies report."

"Does she know that you weren't on the battlefield?" asked Trowa.

"Yes, but she was the only one who did."

"Then how did you pull that stunt?" said Duo, puzzled.

"Well, I couldn't have done it without the help of the scientists," replied Treize.

"Okay, we're done," said Quatre briskly. The next few minutes involved the pilots wrestling Wufei out of the room and all the way to their private chambers.

oo00oo

"INJUSTICE! WHY did you stop me?" snarled Wufei at his comrades.

"Believe me, Wufei, I would have gladly helped you, but now isn't the time," said the blonde wearily.

"So what do you think?" questioned Trowa.

"They're right: we can't do anything unless we get Une out of there, though that's not going to be easy," said Heero.

Wufei, having seen sense in what they were saying, decided to join in the discussion. He pointed at the middle of the 3-D map before them.

"It's the heart of their organization. It's bound to be heavily armed," he noted.

"Can't we just take our Gundams and barge in there?" asked Duo.

"The Gundams are not finished yet," said Samra, coming into the room. "It'll take some time before they're done."

"And we can't wait too long, or else they'll start a full-scale attack. Besides, a Gundam raid would be too obvious; we won't be able to get Lady Une out of there," added Quatre.

"WHY do we have to save that weakling onna?" argued Wufei.

"If you ask me, we're siding with the lesser of two evils," remarked Trowa.

"So what do we do now?" said Duo with a sigh.

"Well, they still haven't finished the preparations of this army, and I need to think about it. The Maganacs are helping the engineers finish the work. We have nothing to do till we have a plan," answered Quatre, shrugging.

"Very well," said Samra, turning to leave. "I'll be with the workers."

"Why do I get the impression that she ran out of here?" asked Duo.

Quatre laughed softly. "If Samra didn't have something to do while she's in this state, you'll have a very sorry H in that lab."

"Good point," said Wufei, going to vent some anger in his room.

"I'll try finding more at the network." Heero turned and followed Wufei.

A few minutes later found Duo wandering in the corridors by himself. Trowa had gone to rest, and Quatre was apparently busy somewhere. The braided American was left by himself to brood over what had gone between them and the scientists. Though he would die before admitting it, Shinigami knew that it was a sticky situation. Heero and Trowa were right: they had to get Une out of there. But Wufei wasn't wrong: they were going to face heavily armed bases – and Quatre was right as well: they couldn't wait long. Duo hated it when they were all right at the same time; it made things so confusing. He wondered how their blonde strategist was faring.

But after all, it was Quatre, and a year of fighting alongside the Arabian had taught him not to question what zero four could do (yes, I know it's reeally biased – but hey, I'm the author here!). Rather, time would tell, and, personally, he was in no hurry.

A loud clunk nearby jerked him out of his reverie, and Duo found that he had walked into a hangar of sorts. A spanner lay a few feet away from him; it had apparently fallen from one of the many ledges propped around the mechas.

"Duo!" a familiar voice called. Rama climbed down the machine nearest to Duo, looking worried. "I'm sorry, Duo, did it hit you?"

"No, don't worry," he assured cheerily handing her back the tool. "What are you doing up there anyway?"

She shrugged, accepting the spanner. "I'm helping Samra check the finished mechas. One nut was being stubborn up there when the thing slipped."

He nodded, climbing the thing with her. "You're good at this," he remarked as he watched her commence work again."

"I had a lot of training about this, and Samra helped as well," she replied, struggling with the unyielding metal.

"Here, let me help."

An hour later found both braided ones sat side by side, having finished the work. Sipping on a cold mint drink, Duo tried in vain to ignore the question nagging persistently in his mind. Finally, he gave in.

"Rama, can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah..."

"Well... what do you think of war? You know, fighting and stuff?"

She shrugged. "Battikh." Apparently, she found that a sufficient answer. However, her companion did not.

"What?"

"It –" Her answer was cut short by a loud call from the other end of the hangar.

"Rama! Are you done yet?" the girl by his jumped and cast an apologetic look at Duo.

"Sorry, I have to go. See you around, Duo."

Duo stared blankly at her retreating figure. What did that word mean? He was very much surprised, but he intended to find out.

oo00oo

Duo found the giant hammering viciously at a sheet of metal, endeavouring to put it in place with the greatest amount of force possible without destroying the machine. Considering that five very unwanted persons were currently roaming the Maganac base like they owned it AND the Lightning Baron's superior himself, Rashid was actually showing a great deal of self-control.

His spirits were a little dampened, nevertheless he asked the question in a tolerably Duo-manner.

"Hey Rashid, can I ask you a question?"

"Yes, Master Duo."

"What does 'battikh' mean?"

Sparing him a glance, Rashid gave the hint of a shrug and went back to his work.

"Watermelon," was all he said.

...

"Very talkative, these people," muttered Duo to himself. He resorted to roaming the corridors once more, more confused than he had originally been. HOW could war be a fruit? It was downright puzzling, and Duo wasn't the type who stood puzzles and kept quiet.

He suddenly stopped in the middle of a stride and mentally banged himself on the head for not thinking of it before. He turned round abruptly and headed, not at all slowly, to Quatre's room.

"What is it, Duo?" asked Quatre as his braided friend entered before he even answered the knock.

"You have to answer a question of mine, or I'll go crazy," stated Duo as-a-matter-of-factly.

The blonde, relieved to have something to do other than think about the blasted situation, looked at him expectantly.

"WHAT does the word 'battikh' mean?!" he asked eagerly.

To his surprise, Quatre looked highly amused and laughed softly.

"Where did you hear that, Duo?" The braided teenager narrated the conversation between him and Rama, as well as Rashid's strange explanation.

"She has a point," mused Quatre as he listened. An irked Duo with eyebrows high, induced him to continue. "Battikh literally means watermelon, as Rashid said. But in some dialects of Arabic, like that of Egypt, it can mean crap."

Duo blinked, "Crap?"

"Yes, now come, _they _want us," he added, gesturing at a beeping panel in the room.

...

"New reports have reached us," began J. "The Warhorses are likely to attack in a week from now. Retrieval of Lady Une must be done very soon. A fleet of fighters is now ready; use them well. The Maganacs are fully armed. This is where they hold her."

A map projected before them, showing doubled security. 70% of the bases were armed moderately and were now surrounding the main base from all sides. AND the Gundams were not ready yet.

"Rama had a good point," remarked Duo. "This is one load of watermelon alright."

--end of chapter six—

Author's Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters do not belong to me.

Author's notes:

Not much to say... I hope the explanation was clear. Additional thanks to weissangel24, you're the best. Next chapter, our blonde does some serious thinking, incorporating the fastest animal on earth. Anyone knows who that is? Besides, he's going to have a long conversation with one of the pilot. I haven't decided who yet, though I'm thinking of Wufei. Any suggestions?

And yeah, I've begun to write Wufei. Please be kind enough to drop a note. I want to know if this is being read.

To the readers and reviewers: many thanks. See you soon.

Free Skylark. 13 August 2004.


End file.
